Where The Home Is
by DoodleRandom
Summary: And this is how the warrior stumbles home. A series of drabbles centered around the Uchiha household. Sasusaku
1. Where the Home Is

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto. Just like I do not own Tuzki.

**Author's Note: **Sasuke is essentially a month late coming back from a mission.

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><p><strong>Where The Home Is<strong>

It is twilight.

And Sakura sits on a bench by the village gates, watching as the sky gradually wilts from purple to gray. The drone of cicadas is a steady bass line to the treble of children's laughter and top notes of lilting small talk.

The air is humid, sticky, and smothering. It causes Sakura's thighs to stick uncomfortably against the wooden bench and she must lift them periodically in order to "un-stick" them. Her pink hair is plastered uncomfortably against her neck but she does not have a rubber band to tie it up.

Sakura looks down into her lap, where her small hands are clenched tightly against the thin fabric of her faded cotton dress. She fiddles aimlessly with the golden band on her left ring finger. The diamond twinkles vividly even in the dim light of pre-evening, reflecting the superfluity of colors above.

She draws a long shuddering breath into her aching lungs and exhales in a huff through her nose before slowly closing her eyes. The actions provide little comfort for her pessimistic thoughts; filled with too many _what ifs _and _maybes._

Sakura does not want to be in that house tonight,_ the rooms are just too_ _empty._ She does not want to wait and contemplate and _wonder_ in that husk of a shelter. _She just does not have the courage_.

Her face is ashen and pale; un-beautified even by the blush of dusk.

Sakura is waiting.

Her heart beats steady and dry and crackling in her chest while her stomach flips liquidly with the waves of anxiety and fear. Sakura licks her lips_ chapped_. They are salty with sweat _or unshed tears._

And suddenly, a high gust of wind picks the hair off her neck and ruffles the edges of her dress. Sakura opens her eyes and guided by instinct turns her crystalline gaze to the gate.

_He is here._

And before her mind can even register the shadow of a figure, her heart is already pounding and her feet are already running.

_ The distance feels immeasurable. _

Sakura collides into him with a soft "umph" and locks her arms around him _just_ _to make sure he is real._ The unexpected weight of her embrace is too much for his injured body and his knees give out as they both collapse together into the dusty road.

_Sasuke usually abhors public displays of affection but he consents to this and relaxes into her tightening embrace. He has missed her too._

And Sakura says nothing to him; only squeezes him tighter and buries her face into his solid shoulders. She vaguely notes that he smells of sweat, smoke, and blood. _And home, mostly he smells of home._

Sakura finds that she cannot help it, _no matter how hard she tries,_ the tears leak out _anyway_ and so she gives up trying and cries unabashedly on his shoulder. Sakura can feel the wetness as her tears soak into his shirt.

The steady metronome of his breathing in her ears and the radiating warmth of his chest on her heart only makes her cry all the harder and she squeezes him again _just to make sure._

And all around them, the sun sets in a blaze of glory.

Sasuke is back_._

_ And Sakura is home._

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><p>Reviews would be awesome!<p> 


	2. When Mother is Away

**Author's Note: **So I decided that this little fiction will be my dumping ground for all family SasuSaku moments.

**Pairing: **SasuSaku

**Summary: **Sasuke rarely indulges in good weather but sometimes, the right company can change his habits.

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><p><strong>When Mother is Away<strong>_  
><em>

_When mother is away the children will play. _

It is a lazy Saturday afternoon and the sun streams in through the open window leaving patterned patches of light on the floor. Outside, the flush leaves of a young tree flutter sporadically in the gentle breeze.

Sasuke sits at his desk as he quietly finishes up some paperwork, occasionally glancing up to look out the window at the blue sky. He muses that today is a rare day of good weather in monsoon season and that it would be waste to spend it indoors completing paperwork.

The scuffling of small feet outside his door breaks his concentration as he turns to catch the verdant eyes of his three year old daughter. She peeks at him from behind the door frame, hesitant to go in. She knows not to bother her father when he is busy working. But today, the house is still and silent with her mother away on an extended mission and the small Uchiha is lonely.

"Daddy?" questions the young child with innocent eyes.

_Are you busy_, hangs unspoken in the soft silence.

Sasuke glances back at his half-filled paperwork before turning to look at his daughter as his face softens into something of an almost-smile.

"No, I'm not busy," states Sasuke with a gentleness that he would not have thought he was capable of in the past. He pushes back his office chair and stands, stretching the tired muscles in his back, before extending an open hand to his child. And this is all the permission the small Uchiha needs as her eyes widen with sunlit joy. She scampers over to her father and places a small soft hand in his large calloused one as he closes his fingers protectively over hers. Liquid eyes gaze up at him adoringly, in the way that only children can, before she begins tugging him toward the door.

_It would be a waste to not enjoy this weather,_ Sasuke inwardly reasons, as he willingly lets himself be led away by small guiding hands.

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><p>Reviews would be much loved! 3<p> 


	3. With Dust and Sunlight

**Author's Note: **This is the result of a 3AM need to write with no inspiration. Excuse the...cringe-ness.

**Pairing: **SasuSaku

**Summary: **Because all relationships begin with change: a change in routine, a change in feelings, or in their case, a change in character.

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><p><strong>Dust and Sunlight<strong>

Work has been tough lately.

Sakura collapses into a bench on the side of the dusty road on her way home from work and releasing her strangle hold on her purse, lets it fall limply to its side. She sags into the bench with a putty-like weariness that makes her appear amorphous before she leans her head backward to rest against the back of the old wooden bench. Exhaling in a violent huff, she fights to bite back a primal scream of frustration, her eyes stinging with the promise of tears that never come.

Losing a patient is never easy, let alone three.

Sometimes, no matter what she does, it is never enough and Sakura thinks she should be used to it by now.

But she isn't.

And most days, she can pick herself back up again and brush off the dust but today is different. Today, a man will go home without his wife and children and Sakura cannot help but feel like a failure even though she has given it her best. Today, all Sakura wants to do is kick and scream in the dirt and decry life's unfairness to the heavens.

And just as she is ready to sob like a child, a shadow of a figure sits down beside her, his presence steady and unimposing. Minutes pass before he moves to say anything, not even meeting her inquisitive gaze, almost as if speaking to the wind.

"_It'll be okay Sakura_," the words are spoken with an almost calm assurance. Short and to the point, much like all of his other words.

And she looks over at him with incredulity, almost laughing at the absurdity of the situation. The last man on earth she thought would be offering her comfort was sitting with her, taking in the same fading sunlight, breathing in the dusty air, sitting on the same grimy bench; volunteering his laconic words and quiet company.

And Sakura isn't quite sure what it is, but the sunlight does seems a little bit brighter and the air a little bit clearer and she can't help but exhale with breathy amusement before replying softly.

"_Thank you_."

Here they begin.

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><p>Reviews are always lovely~ 3 (And I do update faster with reviews, scouts honor!)<p> 


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